Faculty Directory

Jeffrey E. Harris, DrPH, MPH, RD, LDN
610. 436. 2655 jharris@wcupa.edu
Dr. Harris is the Director of the Nutrition and Dietetics Program and originally from Southern California. He earned his B.A. in Biology at the University of California, at San Diego, his M.P.H. in Nutrition and Health Education and Dr.P.H. in Preventive Care from Loma Linda University, School of Public Health. Dr. Harris is a registered dietitian and teaches courses in biostatistics, research design, stress management, obesity, nutrition counseling, and medical nutrition therapy. His specialties are biostatistics, obesity, stress management, and medical nutrition therapy as it relates to cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Sandra Gross, PhD, MS, RD, LDN
610. 436. 3113 sgross@wcupa.edu
Dr. Gross, a Minnesota native, joined the health faculty in 1995. She earned her B.S. in dual majors: 1) Home Economics, nutrition specialization and 2) Corporate and Community Fitness and her M.S. in Food and Nutrition from North Dakota State University. Her PhD is in Hospitality Management from Kansas State University. Dr. Gross teaches basic nutrition, sports nutrition, consumer nutrition, quantity food production, and hospitality management courses. She participates in research that focuses on pedagogy and adolescent obesity. Topics of special interest include problem-based and adventure-based learning, adolescent overweight and obesity, and school foodservice. Dr. Gross is the faculty advisor to the WCU Student Dietetic Association.

Dr. Janet Lacey, DrPH, MEd, RD, LDN
610. 436. 3176 jlacey@wcupa.edu
Dr. Lacey, a Massachusetts native, joined the health faculty in 2000. She teaches courses in introductory nutrition principles, advanced nutrition -- macronutrients and micronutrients, experimental foods, and vegetarian nutrition and cuisine. Dr. Lacey's research interests are in zinc dietary assessment and plant-based diets. She is a registered dietitian and holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (DrPH, Public Health Nutrition), the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (MS, Nutrition and Food Science), UMASS Boston (MEd, Counseling and School Psychology) and Simmons College (BS, Liberal Studies, with emphasis in Food Science and Russian).

Lynn Monahan Couch, MPH, RD, LDN
610. 436. 2289 lmonahan@wcupa.edu
Lynn Monahan Couch joined the health faculty in 2000. She teaches courses in introductory nutrition principles, lifecycle nutrition, nutrition and culture and community nutrition. Ms. Monahan's research interests are clinical nutrition, diabetes and magnesium. She is a registered dietitian and holds degrees from University of California-Berkeley (B.S. in Clinical Dietetics) and West Chester University (MPH in Integrative Health). She is currently a Pre-Doctoral student at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in the Doctorate in Clinical Nutrition (DCN) program.

Our adjunct faculty:

Christine Karpinski, MS, RD, LDN (lkarpinski@wcupa.edu)
Meredith Riddington (mriddington@wcupa.edu)
Mary Beth Gilboy, PhD (mgilboy@wcupa.edu)
Jeanie Subach (jsubach@wcupa.edu)

Nutrition Program
Director: Dr. Jeffrey Harris 610. 436. 2655
Prospective Student Advisor: Lynn Monahan 610. 436. 2289